Know-How Exchange : Website Critique

Suggestions:
* Tell me what physical region you focus your efforts (Dallas, TX)
* Remove the Google Friend Connect widget
* I don't understand what the purpose of the Architectural Postcards are for your business
* I don't understand why you have a forum for your business site
* Why are people allowed to add comments to your "Process" page?
* I'd encourage you to have less text on your home page (especially moving your "About" information to your "About" page. Increase the text size of the rest of the text.
* The phrase "Choose your destination:" isn't really needed and is lost in the page. The image titles that you currently have are self-sufficient.

Dear Lorenz,

Jay makes some great points. Here are a few additional things you might want to consider:

How do you empower people by listening and informing?

Ditch the e-cards and the forum. You need neither. What you'd be better off having is a way to harvest names and e-mail addresses. This goes at the top of every page, and in return, you give something of great value. An e-book, access tot a course on architecture, something ... anything to add value.

Make the text: "Modern" "New-Historical References" "Preservation & Remodeling" into active links and place those links above your images. Each of those images also leads to another set of images and so on. This isn't navigation, it's a bloody rabbit hole, but what your rabbit holes lack are chunks of descriptive, keyword laced text.

Awards won by Stephen B. Chambers: This is great social proof, but it's buried behind a sofa on a back page, under a pile of newspapers!

The Facebook thing might be a little overwhelming for certain people. One simple graphic link ought to be enough. And if you're on Facebook, get a Twitter link on your site as well and build rapport with daily tweets.

The about us page needs a statement about the architect, from the architect. None of this second of third person stuff. And you need a photo of the man himself, and please, God, one of him smiling.

Stephen? Personally dear heart, I don't give a monkey's uncle how miserable you are, but your clients do. So get some portraits done and smile, damn it!

And all these wonderful homes you've built with no actual tour? Let's see some VIDEO on your site: time lapse house building, or some kind of fly-by visualization, as in the following video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZjYoo4DEPE&feature=related

All highly do-able and all absolute gold when it comes to telling the story of each home.

Because you're not designing and building houses, you're creating homes, spaces in which to have experiences that will go to make up lives—memories that will last and last.

So, I hope this helps.

Gary Bloomer
Wilmington, DE, USA

Was this helpful? I'd welcome your testimonial.

All three of the above posters have giving you some good input. Building traffic is an integral aspect of most websites. So you will need to salt the copy with the correct keyword phrases. Your title tag currently reads:

"Residential Architect Stephen B. Chambers Architects, Inc."

Which can mean people who already know your name will find you, and googling "residential architect" might gets some visits.

But the true essence of your site is expressed with keywords like
"custom home design, remodeling design, historic renovation" and the like.

Place these keyword phrases in your title tag and add more of them to your copy in general.

On the bright side, your site is better than many sites put here for review.

good luck,

Steve

Lorenz,

I have not had time to read everyone' s comments so I will give you my top ones.

Your site does not reflect the image that you build award winning homes, remodeling projects, etc. The site needs to pop and capture the eye of a potential visitor.

What is your call to action? What do you want to visitor to do once they have arrived on your site and reviewed some of the pages. Call, Fax, Email, Fill out your form. You need to make sure this message is clear or they will get confused and leave.

Your site also has too many tag lines. You need one consistent message through out the site. Rework the content of the site. Take into consideration who your target market is and address that market throughout the site with one consistent message and theme.

Your tag line with your phone number is a graphic. With many mobile users, you always want your phone number and email address in text. This way when they pull up your site on their phone they can hit your phone number and dial you directly from their phone.

Put a link to the video about Steve and your English collectible client on the home page. A great marketing tool that should not be hidden.

The navigation for your main three housing categories has the navigation above the photo. You want to capture the eye of the visitor and then have them click away.

Your site is very static. I would recommend adding some virtual tours to your site. You would be amazed at the amount of time people will stay on a home builder or remodeling site that has virtual tours.

Steve need a better picture. His body language is all wrong. You want a welcoming photo if you are going to have one.

Dump the ecards feature. The type of client that you want to attract will not use this feature.

How about something totally different and on your portfolio pages add a email this link to a friend. I bet someone deciding to get work done on their house or buy a new home is not making the decision alone.

Take a look at a custom home builder website that I built. htttp://www.slovack-bass.com as an example.

I hope some of my comments help you.

Brian Bearden
Houston, TX